Another Chance: Tea Time
A fanfic set in the Rurouni Kenshin universe
standard disclaimers apply

"Misao-chan!" The woman known as Okon scolded Misao Makimachi from the kitchen sink. "Stop whatever you're doing; you're making a total mess!"

"I'm trying to make cakes for tea," Misao scowled from her table. "Our regular helpers are sick with a cold and we won't have enough cakes and desserts for the tea ceremony."

"Whatever that is," quipped Jiyu from her spot near the stove, "It doesn't look like its edible. Why don't you run down to the baker and pick up something?"

Misao ruefully picked up the runny cake in her hand and sighed. "After buying all this fine sugar at the market, Okina is going to kill me if I go out and spend more money on the bakers' cakes. That baker charges an arm and a leg and gives nothing in return."

"Hey!" Omasu opened the door and stepped into the kitchen. "Is tea ready? Megumi-san is here and looks parched."

"Megumi-san is here?" Misao jumped up from the table. "I'll bring tea to you!"

"Not so fast, Misao!" Okon's voice was sharp. "You can't go until you figure out what to do for our patrons' tea cakes."

Misao grumbled at the older woman. "It's not like Megumi-san comes every day, you know, and like the guests will know the difference between what's traditional and not. Let them eat traditional ricecakes instead."

"Hello?" Megumi cautiously poked her head into the kitchen. Her lips formed a silent 'oh' as she realized she had walked into an argument. Nevertheless, she stepped in and bowed politely, "I'm sorry to bother you. . . "

"Megumi-san!" the ladies in the kitchen chorused happily, forgetting for a moment their apparent crisis.

Omasu turned to look at her, "I thought you were going to wait in the other room."

"Okina-san found me there," Megumi admitted somewhat sheepishly, "And promptly started acting strangely, so I told him I'd go find out where the tea things were."

"Sorry for you leaving you there alone," Omasu sighed while the other ladies simply shook their heads. "Okina's strangeness -- is usually a sign that he likes someone. A lot."

"Normally I'd say that wasn't a bad thing," Megumi said coyly, "But when he starts proposing marriage, I think it goes far beyond what I find amusing."

The women laughed then.

"It's alright, Megumi-san," Jiyu piped up. "You're his third proposal this week."

"His third and fourth," Megumi replied dryly. "He proposed twice, you know."

Misao giggled. "He insists he does it because no one else here is anywhere close to getting married. If he succeeds in one of his proposals, he's pretty sure that the rest of us will follow."

"Really?" Megumi slyly grinned at Misao. "Does that mean that some of you have particular suitors in mind?" She raised her eyebrow when two of the ladies began to snicker, and the other two looked down at the floor and blushed. Megumi made a face. "That bad, I see. Well-" she decided to change the subject and break the awkward silence that had followed her question. " --Why don't I help you with the cake? That way I can stay out of Okina's way."

"Megumi-san!" Misao looked horrified at the suggestion. "You're a guest-"

Megumi was already pulling a smock over her lovely kimono and rolling up her sleeves. She laughed, "I'm a guest who'd rather be here than in that other room. Even if I took tea with you in the other room, Okina would surely invent some errand for you and send you away, leaving me in his clutches. Besides, I like baking - it's like chemistry to me - and I want to hear more about how life has been faring here in Kyoto."

"There isn't much to say, Megumi-san." Misao smiled as she watched the woman expertly throw things together and pour out the contents of her mixture into several pans. "Kyoto is growing, but not like how Tokyo is growing. We're doing well here though as you can tell - there is always a lot to do."

"It must be hard though," Megumi said thoughtfully as she handed the pans to Jiyu who then placed them in the oven. "This isn't the sort of life you were all trained to have. I can't understand how you'd be satisfied with running a business like the Aoiya when you all are so good at other things like fighting."

"It's a relief actually," Omasu spoke up while watching Megumi begin melting some of Misao's sugary mess in a pan. "One starts to feel like we can actually live quiet, normal lives. There's no worry about having to run off and fight and losing someone in our group. That kind of loss--" she paused.

"That kind of loss is hard to get over," Misao finished the thought.

Their conversation turned quiet for a moment before Omasu spoke up. "What about you, Megumi-san?"

Megumi was still stirring the sugary mess on the stove into some sort of candy. "Things are pretty much the same. The clinic is busy these days, now that the people of Aizu have accepted me as a real doctor, but still - it isn't as it used to be when I was growing up there. Many folks are moving to Tokyo and other towns."

"No suitors, Megumi?" Okon grinned. "Can we tell Okina that he still has hope?"

Megumi took her attention away from the melted sugar she had taken off the stove. "No suitors. But with respect to the second question, most definitely, NO." She waved a spoon she had picked up to spread the melted sugar at Okon. "If he asks, then tell that man a match would never work. If he asks, tell him that I can't keep up with someone like him."

"But I can keep up with you," Okina crowed as he popped up behind Megumi and leered at her.

"Okina-san!" Instinctively, Megumi's spoon connected with the man's face. "I have told you 'No,' twice! Do I need to beat this into you for you to understand?"

His eyes watered, not with pain but with joy. "Your beatings would be like soft caresses to my poor old body. I would gladly accept them as signs of your undying affection."

Megumi grew alarmed. "You step one step closer, and these cakes," she grabbed a handful of Misao's remaining failed cakes, "will be stuffed down your throat!"

Okina loomed closer. "The cakes that have touched your hands will be like sweetcakes touched by the divine kami-sama."

"That's it!" Megumi's temper had reached its limits and she flung the first of the cakes at Okina's head.

Okina began laughing as he hopped around, evading globs of cake. "You may be a good doctor, and a beautiful one at that, Megumi-san - but you're no ninja! If you marry into our clan, I'll teach you how to throw with more accuracy."

The four other women wisely inched away as the spectacle continued. Even though now Megumi no longer had any cakes to throw, from their vantage point they could see what the old man could not. Megumi's free hand had quietly picked up a bag of icing. Okina was too distracted by Megumi's furious eyes to notice that he was about to get showered with a batch of fine sugar.

She laughed triumphantly as she whipped out the icing bag and pounded it to launch its contents at Okina. "I'll show you, onmitsu!"

Okina's eyes widened at the sudden attack, but by instinct he elegantly leapt over one of the tables close to the door. Megumi furiously continued to dispense icing in his direction, up to the moment he hid under the table.

From there he laughed."My offer still stands."

The kitchen had fallen into an odd silence.

It was then he decided to peek at Megumi.

As he saw the horrified expression on Megumi's face, he blinked and stood. Quickly he glanced at the other women, who looked absolutely mortified.

"What?" He smirked.

Misao slowly raised her hand and pointed behind Okina. "A- A- Aoshi-sama!"

Okina turned slowly, feeling a draft of cold air behind him.

Aoshi stood there glaring at them, icing covering his hair, the top of his yukata, and about everywhere else that was exposed.

Okina smirked. So the woman had managed to hit something. Perhaps Megumi didn't have such a bad aim after all.

"Okina-, Megumi-san." Aoshi turned his back to them. "Please clean this up and come see me in my office."

~

Okina and Megumi quickly did as they were told. Okina left Megumi tending the oven, and was the first to enter Aoshi's office. He was relieved to see that the icing was not a permanent fixture on Aoshi's hair or clothing.

Megumi arrived a minute later. "I'm sorry to make you wait. The desserts had to be finished."

Okina sat down awkwardly. "Aoshi, about back there."

Aoshi raised his hand. "Don't apologize to me. Misao, Omasu and Okon explained what was going on. A little mess is nothing to worry over, but, you should apologize to Megumi, Okina for harassing her as much as you did."

"It was only a joke," Megumi spoke up suddenly."I knew Okina didn't really mean what he said, but I lost my temper."

"Now, now," Okina suddenly forgot himself, "You know my declarations of love are entirely serious, Megumi-san."

Megumi glared at Okina. "You are a terrible man. Here I am trying to overlook the fact that you've proposed to me now THREE times in one day and still you have the gall to continue making these insane professions of your love for me? Are you ever going to stop teasing me this way?"

Okina sighed dramatically. "Consider my position and take pity on me - a poor man who has no hope of seeing children running around the Aoiya. No one here seems to take my hints to settle down seriously. Could I help it if I latched on to you, Megumi-san? You're educated, ambitious, not to mention beautiful, good with children, need I say more? I'm convinced you'd make an excellent wife to this poor man."

"Don't involve me in your schemes, Okina." Megumi inched herself away from him. "You know you're being ridiculous."

"Well, if not me, then perhaps someone else here." Okina added cheerily. "We have plenty of young men." He frowned thoughtfully, "Of course, there is your temper. I have to admit that I don't think any of our young men would be able to tolerate it."

"Okina." Aoshi finally spoke up. "You are not doing yourself or any of the young men in the Aoiya any favors by continuing with this line of thought. Even though Megumi-san has a good sense of humor, you are clearly wearing down her good graces. Now if I may get on to what I actually want to discuss. . . Megumi-san, you return to Aizu when?"

"Tomorrow," she said vehemently. "I'm taking a land route back to Aizu."

"I see." Aoshi replied, ignoring the pointed look she shot in Okina's direction. "And when do you go to Tokyo?"

"A week after," she replied. "The Americans doctors want me to take them around Tokyo and then attend several consulate events."

"I've told Okina here about your request for help. And despite what you may think, he is the one best suited for this sort of information gathering. He is the only one here who will know and will run the intelligence here while I do some additional scouting of my own. Once you leave Aizu, where can I direct communication to?"

She hesitated and thought for a moment. Gensai-sama had moved recently, and although he was much closer to where the Americans were housed, she did not wish to bother him. That left. . . "Send it to the Kamiya dojo and with a message that I'll come by for the message."

"Very well. Now--" Aoshi stood, signaling that their little meeting was over. "I understand that the Aoiya tea ceremony will go on as scheduled. Some of our temporary servers are unable to help. As we have many foreign guests who have come expressly here to observe it, we can not cancel it.. I think if you two will come join me in the ceremony as participants, I think I will be very well able to forgive the waste of icing and cake this afternoon. "

Okina groaned as he considered the request. "I am too old to sit through one of those, Aoshi."

"But not too old to chase around women and dodge cake?" Megumi gave him a cool glance. "I'd be more than happy to do it, Shinomori-san. I'm perfectly able to accept responsibility unlike some people."

"Okina?" Aoshi looked at the man again.

"Oh alright," he sighed. He was one of the few at the Aoiya who understood enough about the tea ceremony to participate in it and with Megumi goading him on top of it, he could not refuse. He gave Aoshi a hopeful glance, "As long as I sit next to Meg-"

He flinched when he heard and saw Megumi's fist connect with Aoshi's palm, inches away from his own face.

"Megumi-san," Aoshi said patiently as he pushed her fist away from Okina's face, "I do not want Okina to have a black eye."

Megumi nodded slowly and turned to give Okina a look that sent shivers down his spine. "Get anywhere near me, and I will aim much lower the next time."

Aoshi gave Okina a half-smile. "I think I'd better sit between you to keep the two of you out of trouble."

~~

Surprisingly, the ceremony went off smoothly. Okon as usual delivered her tea in a precise, elegant fashion, and Okina and Megumi behaved beautifully.

It might have been the influence of Aoshi, who did choose to sit between them. Or it might have been that Okina was sufficiently intimidated by Megumi to behave. At least for a little while.

Megumi Takani, from appearances, was turning out to be extremely useful. Since she had studied the English language she was able to converse, although a bit haltingly, with the foreigners. With her talking and translating for Okon, the foreigners kept them for a few minutes after the ceremonies to ask all sorts of questions.

Misao came up to Okina and Aoshi as they stood off to the side observing the conversation occurring between the women and the guests. "That actually went off well."

"Thankfully," Omasu sighed her relief as she also joined them. "This could have been rather disastrous with everyone being sick, no proper tea items and food for the guests. It was very fortunate that Megumi-san was here."

"Do you think she could do this again the day after tomorrow?" Misao spoke up hopefully.

Aoshi shook his head. "She leaves tomorrow. You will have to reassign people to that task. I will be leaving as well, so Okina will have to preside in my absence."

Okina's shoulders suddenly slumped.

"Where will you be going, Aoshi-sama?" Misao looked up at him with an expression that clearly displayed her unhappiness.

"I have some business up in Tokyo," he replied.

"Tokyo?" Misao echoed hopefully.

Okina read his surrogate granddaughter quite well. He gently spoke up. "Misao, we'll need you here. You and I can go visit next month or so."

"Oh, of course," Misao looked disappointed.

"Misao," Omasu kindly pulled her away. "Let's go relieve Okon and Megumi of their duties. Megumi looks like she's ready to pass out in that heavy kimono."

"Oh, of course!" Misao's eyes widened and obediently she followed.

"Aoshi," Okina shook his head once they were alone. "You really should be more careful. Misao will not like it if she hears that Megumi is also there. She will feel--" Okina paused, somewhat afraid to say what he really thought, "--left out."

"It is the truth," Aoshi frowned. "I go for business."

Okina wanted to shake Aoshi. Was he really this dense? Could he not be sensitive enough to understand Misao? To everyone else, it was obvious that she did not love her Aoshi-sama like a child loved its brother or father. But Aoshi had never acknowledged it as more than that - and as long as he did not see it and take action, Misao would be always here pining for something uncertain and would grow ever miserable.

Okina loved Aoshi like a son, but he valued Misao equally if not more so. The happiness of the Aoiya had more to do with her than anyone else there. They had all abandoned their fighting ways for a modern life which should have afforded them more opportunities for happiness. Aoshi was still a man asleep to that concept entirely. Therefore he could not see many of the things that affected the people around him directly.

"I'll take care of things, Aoshi-san. Never mind what I said." Okina replied. While Aoshi was away, Okina resolved to do what he had to do in order to see his little dream of happiness for the people of Aoiya come true.


Kami-sama = a godlike divinity

A/N: I know. It's like huh? Okina kind of became very important here to the story. It was completely unintentional, but Okina is a character that just writes himself into any fic. Self-centered guy, that Okina ;-) Either that or he like me is trying to manipulate things behind the scenes. Whether or not it works, don't know. .

I sat through a Japanese tea ceremony once while in San Francisco. I don't remember all of it except it was very hard to sit still.

As for what's next. Generally speaking, it's a further look into the minds of Sano and Aoshi. Yikes, hope Megumi doesn't get too annoyed that she hasn't had her second close-up yet ;-)